This invention relates to a method of controlling the growth of bacteria, fungi, algae and certan viruses. In a particular aspect this invention relates to a method of controlling the growth of bacteria, fungi, alage and viruses by applying thereto certain members of the class of oxazolidines.
Oxazolidines have long been known in the art. They are readily prepared by reacting an amino alcohol with an aldehyde: ##STR1## If the amino alcohol is a diol and 2 moles of aldehyde are used, the resulting oxazolidine is bicyclic, as described by M. Senkus, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 67, 1515-1519 (1945) and Wm. B. Johnston, U.S. Pat. No. 2,448,890, which are incorporated herein by reference thereto: ##STR2##
It is an object of this invention to provide a method of controlling the growth of micro-organisms and certain viruses.
It is another object of this invention to control the growth of bacteria, fungi, algae and viruses by applying thereto certain members of the class of oxazolidines.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide novel oxazolidines.
Other objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein.
It has been discovered that the growth of many micro-organisms, i.e., bacteria, fungi, algae, and certain viruses is controlled by applying to these organisms an oxazolidine corresponding to formula I wherein R and R.sup.1 can be hydrogen or alkyl of 1 or 2 carbons and can be the same or different; R.sup.2 can be hydrogen or alkyl of from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or the group represented by the formula: ##STR3## where R.sup.6 can be hydrogen, methyl, or ethyl and R.sup.7 can be methyl, hydroxymethyl, ethyl or the group ##STR4## or a bicyclic oxazolidine corresponding to formula II, where R.sup.4 can be hydrogen, alkyl of 1 or 2 carbon atoms, hydroxyalkyl, e.g. hydroxymethyl, or acyloxymethyl corresponding to the formula --CH.sub.2 OOCR.sup.5 where R.sup.5 is an alkyl group of 1 or 2 carbon atoms R.sup.3 is hydrogen, alkyl or from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, hydroxyphenyl. The invention also contemplates a class of oxazolidine compounds believed to be novel wherein R.sup.2 of formula I is nitroalkyl, viz., 2-nitro-2-methyl-1-propyl, 2-nitro-1-butyl or 2-nitro-1-propyl, or 2-nitro-1-ethyl, or nitrohydroxy alkyl.